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WASHINGTON — In town to face the Washington Wizards tonight (7, FSD), the Detroit Pistons were meeting with White House Cabinet Secretary Broderick Johnson in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Thursday.

Johnson also is chairman of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, a program aimed at helping young men of color that was started by President Barack Obama. The initiative has been active in Detroit, creating a natural point of conversation for the Pistons.

That’s when the group received a visitor.

President Obama dropped by to welcome the Pistons to the White House, making an impression that will last a lifetime.

Point guard Reggie Jackson played it cool, at first.

“I just kept sitting down,” Jackson said. “Everyone else stood up. I wasn’t sure if he was going to sit down, give a speech, sit in a chair, so I was just chilling.”

Jackson was cut off by the president when the Piston tried to introduce himself. The president, who is nearing a return to civilian life, is a major basketball fan.

“When you introduce yourself to the president and he tells you he knows you, that was a different moment,” Jackson said. “It was fun. It was just a fun experience overall.

“He has a lot going on — especially over this next month — so you definitely wanted to be respectful.”

The nation’s 44th president left an impression.

“Once you met him, it was a little different atmosphere,” Jackson said. “Almost a glow, an aura he has. He was very down-to-earth.”

Off-day team outings are common. Bowling trips, sightseeing and other activities are designed to promote team bonding. Pistons chief of staff Andrew Loomis was instrumental in setting up the White House visit, which probably tops all previous outings.

“Of all the things we’ve done in two and a half years here, I think that’s one the players enjoyed the most,” Van Gundy said. “It was pretty impressive, and, obviously, with a president who’s into basketball, too.”